A semiconductor package is known which comprises a mounting plate, a first integrated circuit chip provided with a first optical detector, a second integrated circuit chip provided with a second optical detector, and a third integrated circuit chip provided with an optical emitter, these three chips being adhered onto the mounting plate. An opaque cover is glued onto the periphery of the mounting plate and optically insulates each of the chips by virtue of the existence of three separate chambers. The cover has three separate openings, formed facing the three abovementioned optical elements and provided with three transparent protection plates.
This known semiconductor package requires the use of a mounting plate and the fabrication of a specially dimensioned cover, and further involves numerous mounting steps and difficulties in electrically connecting the integrated circuit chips externally and still further has large dimensions compared to the size of the integrated circuit chips.
There is a need in the art for a semiconductor package comprising, for example, an optical semiconductor device, which is generally simpler and, consequently, less costly.